Humidifying device for hot air furnaces



- Sept. 20, 1932. E..BUEHRER 1,878,817

HUMIDIFYING DEVICE FOR HOT AIR FURNACES Filed June 28. 1930 Patented Sept. 20, 1932 UNITED STATES EMIL BU'EHBER, OF GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN Application filed June 28, 1930. Serial No. 464,581.

This invention appertains tostoves and furnaces and more particularly toa humidi-, fying device for hot air furnaces.

One of the primary objects of my lnvention is to provide a novel humidifylng apparatus for stoves and furnaces in which the flowing of Water to the humidifying pan 1s controlled by the weight of the water 1n the pan,.thereby entirely eliminating the employto ance of float control valves, thermostats and the like.

Another important object of my invention is the provision of a humidifying apparatus for hot air furnaces embodying a end on a part of the heating element of the furnace under the bonnet of the shell or furnace casing and supported at its opposlte end by a weighted lever having operative connection with the water control valve, the valve being normally held on its seat by spring means and being unseated, when the Weighted lever overcomes the weight of the water in the pan. 1

A further object of my invention is the provision of novel means whereby the con-V trol valve will be located exteriorly of the furnace, so that the same will not be subjected to the intense heat of the furnace, means being provided for adjusting the position of the valve relative to the'operating means whereby the start of the flow of water can be regulated.

A still fiu'ther object of my invention is to provide an improved humidifying device for hot air furnaces of the above character, which will be durableand ellicient in use, one that will be simple and easy to manufacture, and one which can be incorporated with a hot air furnace and placed upon the market at a reasonable cost.

With these and other objects in view the humidifying pan rockably mounted at one Referring to the drawing in detail the letter A generally indicates my improved device, and B a hot air furnace with which the same can be associated;

The hot air furnace B can be of any pre- :5 ferred type and only a portion thereof has been illustrated to show the application of my invention with respect to the furnace. The furnace includes the heating element 5 and the bonnet 7'wl1ich is provided with a suitable opening to receive therein a collar 6' that may be secured in placein any desired manner. Fitting into, the outer end of'the, collar 6 is a'two-piece closure plate 6, the two pieces of the plate having their opposed edges provided with recesses for receiving the water supply pipe. This arrangement provides for admittance of the "supply pipe through the bonnet of the furnace without loss of heat from the interior thereof. This construction permits the device to be quickly installed and removed without removing any parts of the humidifier. Y

My improved-device A comprises a water pan 10 which is arranged within the shell6 of the furnace below the bonnet 7 thereof. The bottom wall of the water pan 10adjacent to the forward end thereof is pro- Vided with adepending rocker or tapered rib 11 which rests upon the top of the heating element 5. This rocker 11 forms a pivot support for the pan 10 as will be later described.

Extending through the wall of the shell 6 is a water supply pipe 12 secured in any preferred way as at 13, to the outer wall of the'pan 10. It is to be noted that the pipe 12 communicates with the interior of the waterpan 10. Intermediate the ends of the pipe 12 is a pipe fitting 14 having its upper face provided with a supporting bracket 15 and a longitudinal extending slot 16in advance of the bracket. The outer end of the pipe 12 has connected thereto'an elbow coupling or fitting 17 and this fitting 17 is arranged exteriorly of the furnace, A vertically disposed pipe 18 is connected with the elbow coupling 17 and supports the water supply valve 19. a I 7 The water supply valve 19 embodies a valve casing 20 having threaded into the same a coupling sleeve 21, which sleeve is adjustably threaded into the upper end of the pipe 18. The upper end of the coupling sleeve 21 supports the valve seat 22 upon which normally seats a ball valve 23. The pressure of the water normally tends tohold the ball valve on its seat, but I also provide an expansion coil spring 24 for this purpose. A water feed tube 25 is connected with the upper end of the valve casing 20, as shown, and the flow of water through this feed tube 25, can be controlled by a suitable pet-cock (not shown). Y

In order to provide means for supporting the outer end of the pan 10 and to provide means for unseating the ball valve 23 when the water in thepan decreases below a'predetermined level I provide a bell crank shaped lever 26. This lever is rockably mounted at its angle on a-suitable pivot pin 27 carried by the bracket 15. As shown, the bell crank shaped-lever 26 embodies a relatively long substantial, horizontally disposed arm 28 and a relatively short, substantially, vertically disposed arm- 29 which extends into the pipe fitting 14 through'its slot 16. The bonnet 7 above ,the'lever 26 has riveted or otherwise securedthereto a hanger bracket 30. Depending from the hanger bracket 30 is a supporting link 31 having a plurality of equidistantly spaced seats 32. Adapted to be received in any one of the seats 32 is the hooked end 33 of the rocker supporting rod 34. The lower end of the rod 34 is pivotally connected asat 35 to the long arm 28 of the lever 26 adjacent to thepivo-t point 27 thereof. It is to be noted that the seats 32 are of a substantial V-shape and that a hooked end 33 of the rod 34 is provided with a knife edge for engaging said seats to reduce friction. V

Slidably mounted on the long arm' 28 of the lever 26 is a weight 35, the position. of which on the arm is determined by the amount of water desired in the'pan 10.

In operation of my improved humiditying device the weight 35 is set at the desired point on the long arm' 28 of the lever to balance the pan 10 on the rocker 11 with the desired amount of water therein. The slight rocking movementof the pan 10 is permitted due to the play in the piping. However, in order to take careof this movement, the tube 25 can be made oi rubber or other flexible material. As shown, in the drawing, the pan is in its normal position with water therein and the pipe 12 resting on the lower wall of the opening in the plate 6 as the pan rocks, the pipe moves up in the opening.

Rockably mounted at its angle in the 'elbow coupling 17 is a segment 36 having its opposite sides provided with V-shaped seats 37. A push rod 38 is slidably mounted inthe pipe 18 through suitable guide 39 pro-- vided for that purpose and the lower pointed end 40 of the rod 38 rests in one of said seats. The upper end of the rod 38 is adapted to extend through the valve seat 22 for unseating the ball valve 23 when the push rod is moved upward. Extending through the pipe 12 is an operating rod 41 the outer pointed end 42 of which fits in the other V-shaped seat of the segment 36. The inner end of the operating rod 41 is connected by means of a pivot pin 43 with the lower end of the short arm 29 of the lever 26.

When the water in the pan 10 is evaporated by the hot air and the level thereof decreases below a predetermined level the weight 35 will overcome the weight of the pan and the remaining water and this weight will tend to slightly rock the pan 10 on the rocker 11 and the weight 35 will slightly rock the lever 26 on its'pivot. This moves the short arm 29 of the lever-26 outwardly, rocking the segment 36 on its pivot. The segment 36 in turn pushes up on the push rod- 38 which unseats the valve 23 allowing water from the pipe 25 to flow intothe pan 10. When the weight of the water in the pan overcomes the actionof the weight 35, the pan will lower, raising the weight 35, which will allow the push rod 38 to move elbow coupling 17 can be provided with an away from the ball valve 23 and the same t? will be seated under the influence of its overflow pipe 45 which is disposed slightly above the longitudinal center of the pipe 12. It is obvious that by adjusting the coupling sleeve 21 on the pipe 18 that the valve seat 22 can be moved closer to or further away from the push rod 38 so that the opening of the valve can be controlled.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention but what I claim as new is:

7 I claim:

' 1. A humidifier for'furnaces having aheating element and a shell, said humidifier comprising a pan rockably mounted at one end on the heating element, a weighted lever rockably supported intermediate its ends by said shell, means pivotally connecting the lever beyond its pivot to the pan, a water prising a water pan rockably mounted at one end on the heating element, a Water supply pipe including a horizontal leg communieating with the water pan and a vertical leg arranged exteriorally of the shell, a water supply valve in said vertical leg including a normally seated valve member, a bell crank shaped lever including a long arm and a short arm, the short arm extending into the horizontal leg of the Water pipe, means piv- 1 otally connecting the lever at its angle to the horizontal leg of the Water pipe, a depend ing link having a plurality of spaced seats connected With the shell above the lever, a supporting rod having a pivot seated in one 35 of the seats, means connecting the supporting rod to the long arm of the lever adjacent to the pivot point thereof, a Weight on the long arm of the lever arranged beyond the point of connection of the rod With said lever, an 2 operating rod pivotally connected With the short arm of the lever and arranged in the horizontal leg of the Water pipe, a segment rockably mounted in the Water pipe at the point of connection of the vertical and horizontal legs, the outer end of the operating rod engaging the segment, and a push rod arranged in the vertical leg and engaging the segment and said valve member.

3. A humidifier for a furnace having a a9 heating element and an outer shell, said humidifier comprising a Water pan, a rocker on the lower face of the pan at the inner end thereof rockably engaging the heating element, a supply pipe connected with the pan leading therefrom through the shell having a supply valve, a Weighted lever pivotally supported intermediate its ends from the shell,

means pivotally connecting the Weighted lever beyond its support to the supply pipe,

and means operatively connecting the Weighted lever beyond both of its pivots to the supply valve.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Green Bay, in

4-5 the county of Brown and State of Wisconsin.

EMIL BU'EHRER. 

